Friday, August 11, 2017

UPDATE: Attempted Murder Suspect Surrenders to Police

UPDATE:
Shawn Hof Jr., the 25-year-old wanted since he allegedly shot at a state law enforcement officer last August, turned himself into police yesterday, a day after multiple agencies announced a renewed effort to bring him into custody, complete with a $20,000 reward.

See the full press release from the California Fish and Wildlife copied below our original post.

PREVIOUSLY:
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced this morning that it is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Shawn Eugene Hof Jr., a 25-year-old man accused of shooting at an officer last year.

Hof, who was the focus of a recent raid in Ferndale that came up empty, was allegedly involved in a high-speed pursuit on State Route 36 on Aug. 21, 2016 and is accused of opening fire on a pursuing Fish and Wildlife officer. There is a $500,000 warrant out for Hof’s arrest.

Hof is described as standing about 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighing 150 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Law enforcement asks that anyone with information about the case, and particularly Hof’s whereabouts, call a tip line set up at (888) 334-2258 or the Sheriff’s Office at 268-2539.

See the full press release copied below.

*HCSO Tip Line 707-268-2539*

Shawn Eugene Hof, Jr. Wanted for Attempting to Shoot a CDFW Officer

A reward of up to $20,000 remains available for information leading to the arrest of Shawn Eugene Hof Jr., suspected of attempting to shoot a CDFW Officer in Aug 2016. Anyone with information in this case (#201604226), particularly the whereabouts of Hof, is encouraged to call either the CDFW Cal-TIP line at 888-334-2258, or the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Tip line at 707-268-2539.

On Sunday, August 21, 2016, at around 12:40 a.m., a wildlife officer from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) was patrolling in Carlotta, Humboldt County. The wildlife officer saw a pickup truck with several occupants using spotlights on Redwood House Road near Highway 36. The wildlife officer attempted an enforcement stop of the truck when the driver sped away. A pursuit ensued and a person, who was believed to be Hof, was in the rear of the truck and began shooting at the wildlife officer as they attempted to get away. The suspects crashed their vehicle into a tree off the road, then fled on foot into the woods and escaped.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and Humboldt District Attorney’s Office assisted in the initial investigation into the shooting incident. Through their investigation, they identified Hof as the suspect. The Sheriff’s Office has obtained a $500,000 Ramey Warrant for Hof’s arrest.

Shawn Eugene Hof, Jr., suspected of attempting to shoot a California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) officer in August 2016, has turned himself in.
Law enforcement officers from CDFW, Humboldt County Sheriff's Office and the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office continued their focused effort to find Hof by visiting areas he was known to frequent.
"We believe it was this focused effort with our partners that prompted him to turn himself in," said David Bess, Deputy Director and Chief of the Law Enforcement Division. "The Department thanks our allied agency partners for their efforts that began a year ago. We're relieved that the situation resolved itself without injuries to our officers or the public."
CDFW also thanks the California Wildlife Officers Foundation, California Waterfowl Association, Defenders of Wildlife, Humane Society of the United States, Nature Conservancy, Sportfishing Alliance and private donors who collaborated on a reward for information leading to Hof's arrest.
On Sunday, Aug. 21, 2016, approximately 12:40 a.m., a CDFW wildlife officer was patrolling in Carlotta in Humboldt County. The officer saw a pickup truck with several occupants using spotlights on Redwood House Road near Highway 36. The officer attempted an enforcement stop of the truck when the driver sped away. A pursuit ensued and a person in the rear of the truck, believed to be Hof, began shooting at the wildlife officer during the attempt to get away. The suspects crashed their vehicle into a tree before fleeing on foot into the woods, where they escaped.
The Humboldt County District Attorney's Office will assume the lead for deciding on charges then filing the case in Humboldt County.